The Brief: March 17, 2015
Oil prices are falling again with worries growing anew that the price per barrel might dip below $40. Full Story
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![An oil pump.]()
Credit: Esteban Monclova for The Texas Tribune -
Double-Dipping Ban Sails Out of Committee
Longtime elected officials would no longer be able to use an obscure perk to boost their take-home pay under a bill that sailed out of a House committee Monday. The proposed double-dipping ban now heads to the House floor. Full Story
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Perry and Cruz Deploy Differing Styles in New Hampshire
Both Rick Perry and Ted Cruz are showing New Hampshire voters that they are willing to brave icy weather to travel across the state and get their messages to voters. But the two likely Republican presidential candidates are taking different paths. Full Story
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![Rick Perry and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and 2014 RedState Gathering at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas on August 8, 2014.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
The Brief: March 16, 2015
Legislative activity begins to ramp up in the two chambers this week with speculation rampant that the Senate might take up as early as today legislation that would allow permitted gun owners to carry handguns openly. Full Story
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![Anti-guns advocates inside Texas Capitol where the Senate Committee on State Affairs is listening to testimony SB 11 & SB 17 both related to handguns on Feb. 12th, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
At SXSW, Paul Courts Nontraditional GOP Voters
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, came to Austin this weekend eager to show he's not your average Republican. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Rand Paul speaks Sunday at the launch event for a new group based in Austin. The organization, Liberty Action Texas, wants to see more young people involved in politics.]()
Credit: Patrick Svitek -
Inside Texas Politics: Setting the Stage
On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, the show is given over to setting the stage for the remainder of the session as the state Legislature moves into a higher gear. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey on WFAA's "Inside Texas Politics" on March 15, 2015.]()
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The Playlist: Something in the Water
This week, we published Undrinkable, our series on why tens of thousands along the Texas border don’t have ready access to safe, clean drinking water, so we start this week’s playlist of the week’s news with “Something in the Water” by Prince. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by John Jordan -
Perry Goes Small in New Hampshire
On the road in New Hampshire, Rick Perry is going back to his political roots, visiting small and rural venues while other candidates focus on bigger cities and media markets. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry in Lancaster, N.H.]()
Credit: Abby Livingston -
The Brief: March 13, 2015
Steelworkers and Shell Oil have struck a tentative agreement on a labor deal that would end a strike at 15 refineries and chemical plants, the Houston Chronicle reported Thursday night. Full Story
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Credit: Roy Luck -
In New Hampshire, Perry Says War Must Be "Last Resort"
Kicking off a two-day blitz in New Hampshire, former Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday morning offered a key caveat to his increasing outspokenness on foreign policy, cautioning that the United States' first response to global conflict should not be war. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry talks with New Hampshire voters at a GOP rally in Stratham, N.H., on Aug. 25, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Brief: March 12, 2015
One lawmaker's protest against Planned Parenthood supporters at the Capitol on Wednesday had turned into something else later in the day: a threat that the gloves were about to come off in his fight against the House leadership. Full Story
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![Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford.]()
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TribCast: Former Fetuses, Presidential Perry, Undrinkable Water
On this week's TribCast, Emily talks with Ross, Neena and Patrick about Rep. Jonathan Stickland's "Former Fetus" sign, Gov. Rick Perry's presidential ambitions and the Trib's Undrinkable water quality project. Full Story
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Perry's Gone, but Travel Costs Still Being Tallied
As the state tallies the tax dollars spent on former Gov. Rick Perry's security while he was running for president, a lawmaker wants future elected officials to reimburse Texas for out-of-state trips that don't involve official business. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Cruz Spokeswoman Heads to Houston for Likely Presidential Campaign
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's public face to Capitol Hill, press secretary Catherine Frazier, is heading home to Houston to join his political operation. Full Story
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![Sen. Ted Cruz listens to a question in the final moments of his keynote interview at TribFest on Sept. 20, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
House Panel Endorses Texting-While-Driving Ban
A bill that would ban texting while driving passed its first legislative hurdle Tuesday when lawmakers voted it out of the House Transportation Committee. Full Story
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The Brief: March 10, 2015
Legislation intended to stop some government officials from collecting retirement benefits before leaving office appears to have a better prognosis the second time around. Full Story
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Double-Dipping Ban is on the Move
Efforts to ban longtime politicians from double-dipping their salaries and their pensions — as former Gov. Rick Perry started doing in 2011 — went nowhere two years ago. But this year the idea is picking up steam. Full Story
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The Brief: March 9, 2015
This weekend, the Tribune launched a five-part series exploring the difficulties of people along the Texas-Mexico border in maintaining access to regular sources of drinking water. Full Story
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With New Iowa Approach, Perry Looks to Flip Script
If you listen to the early speculation about the 2016 presidential race, you won't hear Rick Perry's name mentioned much among national analysts. But Perry is taking on a strategy in Iowa that has proved successful in recent Republican contests. Full Story
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![Former Texas Governor Rick Perry campaigns at a Pizza Ranch in Indianola, Iowa.]()
Credit: Abby Livingston -
The Playlist: The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines
With a story this weekend on a lawsuit involving a Houston dry cleaner, plus our coverage of Rick Perry and Ted Cruz appearing in Iowa, we're leading off this week's playlist of the week’s news with Joni Mitchell’s “The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines.” Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by John Jordan
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